


Fall to grace

by Something_on_my_mind



Series: The world of fall to grace [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Height Differences, New Year's Eve, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, aristocrat hermione granger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27921871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Something_on_my_mind/pseuds/Something_on_my_mind
Summary: Two years and half after the battle of Hogwarts, Draco and Hermione meet in the most unlikely of places.****************************************“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!” inside the party grew louder, a stark contrast to the quiet of the snowy gardens in front of them.Hermione raised her glass to Draco. “To new beginnings” She said with a hopeful smile.Draco smiled back and clicked his glass to hers. “To new beginnings” He agreed.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Series: The world of fall to grace [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045116
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31





	Fall to grace

**31st December, 2000**

At any point in his life, if someone had told Draco Malfoy that he would find himself beginning his adult life living in muggle London, making muggle friends and studying muggle subjects, he would have laughed in their face. And sneered probably, he did sneer a lot when he was younger.  
And yet, here he was, a 19 years old man/boy, celebrating New Year’s Eve surrounded by muggles he considered his very best friends, playing an odd guessing game called Pictionnary.

After his trial ended and he served his 3 months house arrest, he felt he needed a fresh start. So he packed his bags and left the wizarding world. The muggle world and the freedom it offered enticed him. There he could go anywhere, do anything and be anyone. At first he considered going as far from England as he could, Australia or maybe even Japan.  
Then, his father had been sentenced to life in Azkaban and his mother to a five years house arrest and he decided to stay. His mother had begged him to stay in the manor, to not leave her alone. He compromised and promised to stay in England and visit her at least once a week.

He bought a flat in London and enrolled as an independent student at the Imperial College of London to study science and history. He figured that if he was to live amongst muggles, he might as well learn everything he could about them. That is where he met Sybil and Archibald, two political science students, who would quickly become his two closest friends. They had introduced him to their group of friends who had welcomed Draco with open arms. The group turned out to be quite a posh bunch, all sons and daughters of lords and two mining heirs. Draco had fit right in.

That is how he found himself almost a year later surrounded by people he called family, staring at a white board, intensely trying to decipher what a misshapen circle with sticks poking out of it standing on a cloud could represent.

The sofa cushion beside him dipped as Archibald sat down between him and Sybil, two drinks in hand. He handed Draco one. Draco nodded in thanks and took a sip of the Champagne, the bubbly drink tickling his palate. “So, where are we at?” Archibald rubbed his hand excitedly looking at the scoreboard Draco held in his hands. Their team was winning by two points. Archibald leaned back on the sofa, stretching his arm to rest it around his girlfriend’s shoulder. Sybil smiled at him quickly before turning her attention back to the game.

“Come on guys, put a little effort!” Eugenie turned away from the board looking at the group annoyingly. Thomas threw his head back in annoyance and groaned. “Gen, it’s not the lack of effort. You’re just bloody awful. What the fuck is that supposed to be? A stabbed marshmallow standing on a lint ?!” He bit out, garnering a furious glare from his twin sister.  
“Oh I know!!” Sybil stood abruptly from the sofa, spilling some of her Champagne on Archibald’s white shirt. “Counting sheeps!!” She screamed, making Eugenie jump up in joy. “For god’s sake! Yes! Good to know at least one of my friend is not fucking daft.” She sank into the nearest loveseat blowing air on her fringe in annoyance. She threw the marker at Leonard, hitting Darcy instead who quickly handed it to her friend. “Your turn Indiana Jones.” Barely flinching at his new nickname, the archeology major stood to take his turn in front of the white board. A yell broke their Pictionnary bubble. A classmate of Sybil had just won a nearby game of pool.

Draco took the rest of the room in for the first time since starting their game. Sybil had somehow managed to stuff about 60 people in her parent estate’s drawing room. The tables were littered by trays full of flutes, the alcohol flowing generously. Guests were getting tipsy, standing a bit too close to priceless artwork and leaning lightly on antique clocks, the decorum held in the beginning of the evening long gone.  
The wood paneling on the wall and the plush velour sofas made the room feel warm and inviting in a way Malfoy Manor never had. Muggle estates were much different from the ones Draco had frequented during his youth. While both were grand and held way too many rooms for one family, the marble and silver ornaments of pureblood’s residences were replaced with wood and carpets that made muggle’s manors much homelier.

As Leonard started drawing, the doorbell rang. Sybil stood and exited the room to greet what Draco assumed was a tardy guest.

He turned his attention back to the game, squinting as Leonard drew what somewhat resembled a very fat horse. Sybil entered back into the room, her new guest trailing behind her. “Guys, look who I manage to drag back from the dead!” She squealed. Beside him Nathaniel turned towards her before standing. “Hermione bloody Granger! Where did you come from? We haven’t heard from you in years!” His voice boomed.

At the mention of Sybil’s guest Draco’s eyes snapped to the entryway. No, it couldn’t be… And yet there she stood, Hermione Granger, war heroine, ⅓ of the golden trio and brightest witch of her age. It had been two years and then some since his eyes last landed on her. The last time he had seen her, he was shackled in front of the Wizengarmot as she and the rest of the trio testified on his behalf.

She had changed alot since the last encounter. Her eyes were no longer as hardened by the war as they had been, her curls softer and a bit shorter, her collarbones no longer sticking out from being on the run with limited supply of food.

Her shocked eyes met his terrified ones as the rest of the group moved towards her. He quickly occluded, pushing the dread of being found deep behind his occlumency shields, double locking the door, a fancy party trick he had acquired during Voldemort’s stay at his childhood home. He moved slowly with the group to avoid dragging attention from himself, eyes cold and empty. Darcy flashed him a quick concerned glance.

Archibald moved to introduce him to their new guest “Draco this is-”  
“Granger” he nodded curtly at her. “Malfoy” She nodded back with a cautious smile, her eyes inquisitive. The rest of the group stared at them confused. Susan turned to Draco, raising a questioning eyebrow. “How do you two know each other?” She asked.

Draco cleared his throat. “We went to boarding school together.” He supplied vaguely before shoving his trembling hands in his pockets. “How do you all know Granger?” He inquired.  
“We grew up with Lady Essex” Thomas said teasingly. “Same social circle and all, that is before she completely disappeared from the social scene a few years ago. Last I heard, you and your parents had moved to Australia?”

Hermione blushed. “Hum yes, we moved back last January.” Sybil gave Thomas a playful shove. “Why don’t we stop harassing dear Hermione with questions before she disappears again, huh? Hermione would you like a drink?” She said sweetly, always the gracious hostess, dragging the curly haired witch towards the couches they had previously vacated.

***************************************************  
Later that evening Draco found himself outside on the drawing room’s balcony sharing a cigarette with Nathaniel. When his friend had announced he needed a smoke, Draco had jumped to the opportunity to escape the endless questions from his friends.

As he had discovered during the inquisition, Granger’s parents, or rather the Earl and Countess of Essex as they were known, were second cousins once removed of Sybil’s parents. He had also learned that Hermione was currently studying law at Oxford. Just like him, she seemed to have completely left the wizarding world. He had heard about the Granger’s oblivion and subsequent exile to Australia. She seemed to have been able to restore their memory and he was glad to hear that the war hadn’t managed to separate another family.

Her parents and her had moved back to their estate and she worked part time at the Granger’s dental practice while studying.

Nathaniel blew his smoke and glanced at Draco. “You’re doing okay mate? You’ve been pretty quiet since the arrival of Hermione.” He inquired.  
“Yeah, just a bit distracted. I wasn’t exactly the best person back at boarding school. I guess she brings back some embarrassing memories.” Draco shrugged.

Before any of them could say anything else, the door to the balcony opened and Hermione emerged. “Sybil requests your assistance handing out drinks to everyone. We’re about to ring in the new year” She informed Nathaniel. Dusting off the snowflakes that had accumulated on his shoulders and putting out his cigarette, he clapped Draco on the shoulder before retreating inside.

Draco expected Hermione to go back inside with Nathaniel, but instead she joined him by the edge of the balcony. She rubbed her hands on her arms, shivering a little. Draco took in her appearance, noticing her naked shoulders barely covered by the thin strap that tied her gold dress on one side.

Draco shrugged off his suit jacket before wrapping it around Hermione’s shoulders. “Thanks” She said with a small smile.  
His jacket drowned her slight frame, the hem almost reaching her knees and the sleeves completely covering her hands. She let out a small chuckle.  
“You’ve grown quite a bit taller since I last saw you.” Glancing over to her, he noticed how he towered over her now by almost a whole foot. “Well that’s an unfair comparison, you never were very tall” he said, his eyes glinting.  
She huffed indignantly. “I’ll have you know that I am 2 inches taller than the average muggle woman’s height! It’s not my fault bloody wizards are so tall” She grumbled under her breath.

He snickered at her indignation and they fell into a comfortable silence.

“So...Lady Essex?” He teased tentatively. She let out a small huff, a slight blush covering her freckled nose. “Yeah, a bit stuffy isn’t it?” She laughed. “My parents were never big fans of their titles, but my dad being an only child, is responsible for the estate. Trying to maintain the family legacy and all that.” He nodded in understanding.

“I never would have thought that the righteous Hermione Granger was an aristocrat” He chuckled. “No one knew” She clarified. “Not even Harry and Ron”

“Now I know they’re not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, but didn’t they figure it out when you brought back your parents to England?” He asked puzzled.

“We haven’t really talked since I left. At first the time difference between Australia and England made it hard to communicate and then I assume they’ve been pretty busy with auror training and all that.” She said quietly.

“I’m sorry to hear that Granger” He supplied.  
“It’s fine, it’s not like we fell out or anything.” She let out quickly. “We’ve all been pretty busy I guess.”

“If I may ask, what made you come back and claim your trust fund so to speak? I would have thought that the ministry would have wooed you with a job defending elf’s rights or something like that.”

She shoved him playfully, sending sparks throughout his body when her shoulder met his arm.  
“Not that I didn’t get offers, but after the war…” She answered her tone darkening as her hands gripped the railing. “...I felt I had given enough. I spent the better part of my childhood fighting monsters and helping Harry defeat Voldemort. I sure wasn’t going to sacrifice my 20’s to anyone. Right now, I am focusing on me, and me only. No prophecy, no grand scheme, no big expectations, no brightest witch of her age bullshit. Just Hermione Granger doing whatever she wants to do”

She held his gaze defiantly, challenging him to say anything. Behind them, the people inside had started the countdown to midnight.

10…  
9…  
“Hey, I get it Granger, if anyone knows what it’s like to want a different life it’s me.”He smiled at her before taking a sip from his glass.  
8…  
7…  
6…  
A comfortable silence settled between them.  
5…  
4...  
“I never did thank you for allowing me to have that...A new life I mean. If you hadn’t testified on my behalf I would probably be rotting away in Azkaban with my father right now”  
She looked up at him, eyes confident, burning with their signature Gryffindor righteousness.  
“No one should spend the rest of their life paying for mistakes they never even had the choice to make.”  
3…  
2…  
1…

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!” inside the party grew louder, a stark contrast to the silence of the snowy gardens in front of them.  
Hermione raised her glass to Draco. “To new beginnings” She said with a hopeful smile.  
Draco smiled back and clicked his glass to hers. “To new beginnings” He agreed.

Had it been fate that had pushed them together or simply chance, they would never know. But as they both looked up to the starry sky one chilly winter evening, they knew that, somehow, they were both exactly where they needed to be.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I have ever written aside from academic papers. For now this will be a one-shot, but I do have plans to expand if I find I can write something good enough. This is also un-betaed so please let me know if you find any typos! :D


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